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Overview

Siblings Bri and Ray O'Dell are lost. Anxious. Restless. Ray—bullied at his Catholic school for being small and timid—wants to be someone people respect or, even better, someone people fear. Meanwhile, Bri knows that something is off about her friendship with the shiny, happy, sophisticated blond girls on her field hockey team. They don't really understand Bri, and if Bri is being totally honest, she doesn't really understand them either.

When storied delinquent Cullen Hickson enters the orbit of the O'Dell siblings, though, everything changes. Bri and Ray find an alluring, addictive outlet in Cullen, who opens their eyes to a world they didn't know existed. For Ray, that means experiencing the singular thrill of crime—from breaking and entering to grand theft auto—while Bri quickly dives into an all-consuming romance with the enigmatic upperclassman.

As Bri and Ray become more and more entwined with Cullen's antics, and their once-thrilling experiences grow increasingly dangerous, a series of life-changing events threatens to lead the teens down a dark path—one that could forever alter the course of their lives.

Product Details

About the Author

JJ Strong received a creative writing degree from the University of Southern California, and a B.A. in English from Georgetown University. His writing has appeared in Fifth Wednesday, the Santa Monica Review, and LA Weekly. He taught for many years in the undergraduate writing program at USC, before moving to the Washington, D.C. area with his wife and son.

Editorial Reviews

"Strong's debut novel is one that will resonate with those searching for meaning or a higher power in life....the alternating narratives of these three [characters] will give readers much to ponder about romance, friendship, life and death, and all the ineffable spaces in between." —Booklist

"Gritty and dramatic." —School Library Journal

“The twists and turns in this novel left me sweating with suspense. The story of a brother and sister and the older boy who comes into their lives very astutely shows how its teen characters catalyze each other’s lives, creating unpredictable chemical reactions in which each propels the others into a dangerous direction not one of them could have imagined. Unsentimental and gripping, this is a memorable debut.” —Janet Fitch, author of White Oleander and Paint it Black

“An unflinching exploration of teenagers hurtling toward a point of no return. A compelling, impressive debut that doesn’t shy away from the allure of danger.” —Latifah Salom, author of The Cake House

"Us Kids Know is at once a page-turning adventure and a poignant exploration of the human heart. Strong renders these complex teenagers with deep empathy and insight as they quest for truth and meaning in an uncertain world. I fell in love with this funny, heartbreaking, and ultimately life-affirming book.” —Lindsey Lee Johnson, author of The Most Dangerous Place on Earth

From the Publisher

08/01/2017Gr 9 Up—Realistic and angsty, this debut novel brings readers into a world of teenage crises. Brielle and Ray O'Dell are siblings, and both of them are thinking about how and whether they belong in their respective circles. Bri is debating her friendships with the "popular" girls and how she really fits into that equation. Ray, bullied and contemplative, is suffering through an existential crisis and devouring as many texts as his Catholic school teachers can recommend while questioning his faith. Enter Cullen Hickson, a senior at the all-boys school that Ray attends who flings himself into the lives of the O'Dell siblings and brings them down a path of excitement and peril. The danger increases until one event spirals them out of the control. Strong has set this novel in the early 2000s, just a year after the September 11 terrorist attacks, and there are many references to this event as well as popular culture of the time that may distract some unfamiliar with the era but won't completely derail the reading experience. Some of Ray and Bri's choices seem hard to believe because they feel out of character, but often their actions are reflective of the issues they are facing at home. Some of their antics aren't always met with appropriate consequences. VERDICT Gritty and dramatic, this is an additional purchase for large realistic fiction collections.—Megan Huenemann, Norris High School, Firth, NE

School Library Journal

2017-07-17Siblings Ray and Brielle are enthralled when they encounter older, daring misfit Cullen, who attends the same private Catholic school as Ray.High school sophomore Brielle drifts complacently in the wake of her popular, cookie-cutter friends, while her younger brother, Ray, is brutally bullied at St. John's, their psychiatrist father's alma mater. Ray endures this abuse in believable silence, hiding it from his family, especially his chronically depressed mother. It seems likely her illness contributes to his own despairing thoughts, which are underpinned with religious doubt. Told in alternating narrative style by the three teens, this provocative, unsettling story set in the suburbs of New York City in the year after the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks plumbs the depths of Ray's disillusionment as he prevails upon Cullen to help him participate, along with his only friend, caring, self-possessed Amir, in increasingly dangerous criminal acts. Meanwhile, the magnetic romance and sexual experiences Brielle has with Cullen provide a way for her to challenge her parents' conflict avoidance. Cullen's home life is also explored, though his buoyant, unflappable exterior plays a bit too heavily into a diamond-in-the-rough stereotype at times. All of the major characters are white except for Amir, whose family is from Saudi Arabia. A gripping, tragic debut novel that will fascinate and trouble sophisticated teen readers. (Fiction. 14-18)

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